AC 7020 T-Handle shifter

I bought an 1978 AC 7020 with 3900 hours yesterday at a farm auction and it is my first AC. This tractor has sat in the barn for a while and it looks good but it has not been used. It starts right up and runs well but I can't get the shifter handle to turn at all. It will go all the way forward and back but won't budge when I go to put it in reverse or another side gear. Does this mean the cables are froze or worse? If they are froze, should I try to break them loose with a pipe wrench on the shifter or do I need to be more gentle. Or do I remove the cables and try to break them loose on the bench or just replace them?

I was able to drive it 4 miles home but it does grind the gears whenever I change gears or speed selector.

Thanks.

It also will not go into park. Does that sound like a cable as well?

There can be more to the "won't shift into park". I bought a used 7045 and spent a few hours freeing up and adjusting and replaced cables. The T handle really works pretty freely when things are set up right and it will stay in adjustment and work good- mine has for 5 years as a hay baling and feeding tractor so lots of shifting. My 7060 had some things ran out adjustment on the range and park shifter and got really bad and we ended up pulling the shift cover for the range section and replacing some pins in the detent and interlock and maybe a shift rail had some wear in it too, but setting up the cables right has allowed it to work great for longer than it did when it was new. I think a lot of these got sold and used out of adjustment then after people figured them out they worked the bugs out of them. They do get wear inside the cables and need replaced.

The Tee handle will only rotate when in neutral, never when the lever is forward or back.

I can't get the handle to budge in neutral, maybe 1/16th to each side. So as of right now I only have two usable gears, 2 & 3. It also really grinds the gears when it is stopped and the clutch buried to the floor.

Yep, it won't twist.

Allis should have come up with a better shifter than that...I would just as soon have the shifter between my legs as deal with the constantly wearing out T handle....they dropped the ball on that one IMO

Exactly

Jwmac7060 wrote: Allis should have come up with a better shifter than that...I would just as soon have the shifter between my legs as deal with the constantly wearing out T handle....they dropped the ball on that one IMO

I agree

I would do that Shamless, but l have never been able to get the panther inside the cab once l catch him.....